Old Tappan soccer alumni reunite on the field

OLD TAPPAN - The 10th annual Northern Valley/Old Tappan alumni soccer game provided a great way for former Golden Knights to get together and play - as well as burn off some calories after Thanksgiving.

What started out as a way for a bunch of buddies home from their first semester of college - and not enough to field an 11-on-11 game - has expanded to 45 Old Tappan grads, with some friends and family in attendance as well.

"It gets more exciting every year," said founder Chris Brigandi, class of 2003. "There's always more people coming out."

Brigandi, a former midfielder who played at Drew University, was able to get the word out through an email list and through Facebook.

"Facebook is amazing," he said with a laugh. "You can find anyone [on] there."

SENIORS HONORED

The current seniors were honored in a ceremony. Members of the classes of 1980, 1996, 2001, 2003-04, 2006-09, 2011 and 2012 came out.

The class of 2012 featured members of Old Tappan's first ever Bergen County Championship team.

The alumni were broken up into five teams of eight players. Play commenced in a round robin tournament, with each team playing one another before going into a championship bracket.

There were no referees and players used the honor system to keep track of the score. Two games were played at once, using half of the soccer field.

Golden Knights head coach Mike Hanchar and his staff also played.

"Kids are coming back and we have a great following," said Brigandi, who resides in Hoboken and spent Thanksgiving at his parent's home in Harrington Park.